


Memories of us

by Rei_Amakata



Series: From then to now [2]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Family Fluff, Implied Himuro Tatsuya/Murasakibara Atsushi, Implied/Referenced Character Death, KagaKuro Month, Love child AU, M/M, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 01:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12378228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rei_Amakata/pseuds/Rei_Amakata
Summary: Spending the day at the beach with his loved ones, Kuroko takes a trip back in time to dear memories of everything that led them to here, now.[Another fluff because I can't help it. (Almost) late submission to KagaKuro Month 2017 week 2.]





	Memories of us

**Author's Note:**

> I was supposed to submit a fairy tale au themed fanfic to the event. However, life got in the way and the thing I had started also got out of hand (I blame GoM). Long story short: I'll have it posted when I get to finish that, which may happen before or after KagaKuro Month ends. We'll see.  
> This one was supposed to have been posted on KagaKuro Day. I couldn't finish it in time, so here it is now... By the end of week 2. It's a sequel to "War zones and fire", but you can read it separately if you'd rather. Enjoy!

The waves crashed in the distance, resounding along with excited yells and words of encouragement. From where he sat, his over sensitive skin protected by layers of sunblock and a giant umbrella, he identified the duo as two red dots which appeared and disappeared amongst the agitated sea. 

“Dad is so cool!” the comment came from their youngest, who was sitting not much far from him while she diligently built sandcastles. Her red locks shone under the rays of California sun. 

A bit far from them, in the sea, shades of red shone, too. 

“Yes, he is,” he agreed with a soft voice, lowering the book he'd been reading to his lap and letting his gaze linger, grasping whatever it could from the scene in front of him. 

His daughter’s remark had acted as a boat which took him on a short trip to the past. 

_ Taiga had been cool from scratch. _

The view of the beach was replaced by fragments of memories his reminiscence trip guided him to see in his mind. Their first year in high school, their supposed first encounter. 

He was so cool, even back then. Kagami’s power was measurable just as his strength was unrestrained when he joined the team. Tetsuya remembered noticing coach Riko’s careful analysis and realizing that just as he himself, she knew Seirin basketball club had earned a gemstone which needed to be carved. 

He remembered acknowledging he had really found the one. The rising excitement which surrounded him as he watched Kagami play. Fiercely. Fired up. Full of passion. 

_ So cool indeed. _

The boat of memories took him further ahead, but still so far back in time. Their first match against Touou—and Aomine. Defeat. Despair. Decisive desire to try it again and win, this time. 

Time and situations had shaped them all. But Kagami had always been so cool, in fact. Their losses and their victories especially didn't turn him into the kind of arrogant bastard he wanted so bad to beat. Instead, they had increased his passion and his ability to trust Kuroko and the team. 

The waves of recollection led Tetsuya's mind to the dearest of memories. Attachment. Attraction. An undeniable change of his—of their feelings for one another. What started with a mutual goal Kagami at first tried to deny they should pursue together became a strong friendship that could lead nowhere but down the love route. 

And just as their feelings had advanced, his memories now leaped and reached places in time which warmed his heart. They had been apart more than once, and whenever Kagami came back to him it was always there. Heat. Hunger. His own place to call home. 

He remembered being reunited when they both realized being apart was no longer an option. Kagami coming back from America straight to Japan. The two of them moving in together right after the redhead stepped in their land because no way he would stay any minute away from Kuroko anymore. 

Tetsuya's plans had remained the same for a while. Kagami had changed his own for their sake. No more basketball as a pro. New beginning. No regrets. 

For a second, his blurred vision got clear as his mind pulled him back to reality. His eyes traveled from red in the sand to red in the sea. 

And then, getting lost in the boat of memories again, he was reminded of how they had gotten there in the first place. 

“Hey, Tetsuya… What you say we move to America? We could uh… Actually start a life there as” Taiga had averted his gaze, looking over the balcony as though the view of the outside could take him across the globe. “...You know, as Tatsuya and your pain in the ass friend did.”

“Taiga-kun, it's time you stopped pretending not to like Murasakibara-kun. He's your brother-in-law… In a way.”

“Yeah, yeah… Whatever. So, what do you say?”

Tetsuya had known what that meant, of course. It wasn't simply about moving to another country and starting new jobs. It meant marriage, for real. 

_ Just like them. _

He could feel the pangs of anxiety he had felt back then as though he had been taken back in time through an actual time machine. It hadn't been the easiest decision of his life. But then again, he had never been one to be afraid of making tough decisions as long as they were thoroughly considered. 

He was especially keen to make them when he had Kagami by his side and they could take the risks together—and celebrate the positive outcomes or support each other in the event of a failure. 

And so, he had taken his time deciding what had already been decided from the start. When he was finally ready —and oh, the excitement in his beloved fiery red eyes made him sorry he had taken so long to say yes—a plane rather than a boat took them to their destined place. 

A comfy house in Taiga's known LA. A new city. A new setting. A fresh start for the both of them. 

The waters of memory he was navigating on made him remember how easy it had been for Taiga to adjust and how not so easy it had been for him. Still, it had been worth it. At first, he would work from home, thanks to the solid academic network he had acquired as a teacher in Japan. He would also talk to their now closest (both physically and figuratively) friends through Skype as often as possible. Himuro had helped him brush up his English while Murasakibara had reinforced his belief that it wouldn't take long for him to adjust. Even though the pair lived in another city, they managed to make him feel less lonely. And, of course, so did Taiga. 

He had always been so cool, after all. Cool. Caring. Careful to make Tetsuya feel at home miles away from his homeland. 

The golden rings only came when it was clear that was their place to stay, he remembered with a smile. Marriage. Maturity. Making sure they were ready to take several next steps. 

The memory waves then led him to remember, with a heavy heart, how time had taken Nigou away. And thus, as if to soothe the burden of that remembrance, they took him to a closer, happier place in time. They took him to the very memory of how time and the circumstances had brought Takeyuki and then Tomoko to their lives. 

Red rays of sunshine raised under the California sun. 

The boat of memories brought him closer to the present, but it was their youngest who pulled him towards the pier of now. 

“Daddy? Earth calling daddy Tetsuya~.”

He blinked behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses and smiled wider in watching small, delicate fingers snap in front of his face. 

“Sorry, Tomo-chan. Dad was lost in thoughts.”

“Uh… they were happy thoughts, right? Daddy had this huuuge smile on his face!” she said, beaming, the freckles in her cheeks looking as adorable as they could be. 

“Did I? Well, they were happy thoughts indeed,” playing with her red locks, he looked over her head, keeping his smile as he watched father and son coming from the sea. They carried their surfboards with pride and shared similar smiles. 

“So, how was it? We ruled the waves, didn't we?”

Taiga had always been so cool. And that hadn't changed a bit. 

“It was the best!” Takeyuki grinned, imitating his dad's moves as Taiga placed the board on the sand. 

“Dad looked the coolest,” Tomoko commented with a shy smile. “Daddy didn't see it, though. He was lost in happy thoughts.”

Tetsuya giggled and shook his head. Trust kids to give you away, he had long learned. 

“Ohh is that right?” Taiga sat beside him, their arms touching, droplets of cold water sending shivers up his warm skin. The kids watched as he grimaced, and laughed. 

“Daddy made such a funny face!”

“He totally did!”

“You know, this guy here didn't use to have many expressions.”

“That's not true. I simply wasn't exaggerated like you, Taiga-kun.”

“Oi!”

The kids laughed harder as they observed their fiery dad pretend he was offended. 

“Enough, you!” All of them knew his scolding was as fake as his scowl. “Now tell us, Tetsuya. What kind of happy thoughts were you having?”

A pair of red eyes and two pairs of blue ones stared at him, waiting for a response. 

Tetsuya covered his husband's hand with his own before giving them an answer. 

Golden rings. Red and blue strands. A mix of colors shone under the bright California sun. 

“I was having the best kind of thoughts,” gracing his kids with a smile, he explained, “I was having memories of us.”


End file.
